


Bedtime Stories (and memories yet to happen)

by EstaJay



Series: Every Headcanon and the Kitchen Sink [2]
Category: The Legend of Zelda & Related Fandoms
Genre: Fluffy Moments, Grandpa Wind, Linked Universe (Legend of Zelda)
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-03-18
Updated: 2020-03-18
Packaged: 2021-03-01 02:46:42
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,728
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23198035
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/EstaJay/pseuds/EstaJay
Summary: An old sailor tells his grandson a bedtime story.
Relationships: Warriors & Wind (Linked Universe)
Series: Every Headcanon and the Kitchen Sink [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1435369
Comments: 9
Kudos: 141





	Bedtime Stories (and memories yet to happen)

**Author's Note:**

  * For [smolkorok](https://archiveofourown.org/users/smolkorok/gifts).



> One of the LU server birthday prizes. An absolutely lovely prompt that I couldn't keep my personal HCs out of

He sighed as he leaned against the doorframe.

Of course he would find the brat asleep in the study. The candlelight flickered, a tiny wick in a pool of melted wax. The boy had turned the ancient pages into a makeshift pillow, gently snoring as fantastic worlds filled his dreams.

He should consider himself lucky. Given his life, he'd never thought he would have the chance to settle down and have a family yet here was his grandson before his very eyes - well, eye. 

He entered the study and the boy stirred at the sound of his footsteps. 

"Mornin' Gr'n'pa," the boy slurred. 

He laughed softly. "Not yet, brat. It's time for you to get to bed."

The boy sleepily swatted away his hands as he stumbled out of the chair. "I c'n go by m'self. Imma big boy."

"If you say so brat."

The boy trailed after him, holding onto the ends of his scarf to keep balance. However after a couple of steps, he stopped. The grip on his scarf had slackened and soft snores filled the quiet house.

He chuckled, the boy had fallen asleep on his feet once again. 

He hauled the boy onto his back before the brat could fall down and carried him the rest of the way to his room. 

Of course, the brat woke again just as he was tucking him into bed.

The boy glared at him through half-lidded eyes. It was ten years too early for that look to be anything close to intimidating. 

“I coulda made-it myself,” the boy grumbled.

He snorted. “Yeah, if I wanted you passed out in the middle of my hallway.”

“Stop treating me like a little kid!” 

“You  _ are  _ a little kid.”   


The brat crossed his arms and huffed - glaring at him with fully awakened eyes. 

He sighed, now he knew how the others felt when he had been a stubborn little brat.    


“How about I tell you a story.”

The boy immediately perked up. “A story? A hero story right?” He was practically vibrating as  excitement danced in his eyes. 

He laughed again, seating himself at the foot of the bed. “Too old to be carried but not too old for bedtime stories, eh?”   


The boy pouted. “They’re  _ hero  _ stories. They’re the stuff of  _ legends. _ ”

“Pfft - legendary is one way to describe them.” They had been a bunch of legendary dumbasses but the boy was too deep in his hero worship phase for him to say that. “So it starts like this - a story of threatening shadows…”

“A shadow story! Heck yeah!” The boy cheered. 

“Oi, watch your mouth brat.” He chastised. 

“Hey, I’ve heard you say worse. Be glad I’m not saying any of  _ those  _ words.”

He tried scowling but he couldn’t stop a smile from forming. “Who taught you that cheek?”

“Who  _ else  _ could have?” The boy countered - and well, he couldn’t argue with that. “C’mon, you were starting a  _ story.” _

“Fine, fine brat. It starts with an ambush of keese. Link and Link stood back to back with their swords drawn while Link recognised the other monsters charging towards them -”

“ _ Grandpa!”  _ the boy whined. 

He smirked. “What?”

“You know what you’re doing!” the boy grumbled. “You’re just using the name Link!”

“But they  _ are  _ all named Link.” And that earned him a pillow being thrown at his face. “Fine brat  but you aren’t getting this back until after you fall asleep.”

“I still think you forgot all their names.” the boy said but he piped down.

“Let’s start again: The heroes were ambushed by keese. The old man and the sky child stood back to back with their swords drawn while the sailor recognised the other monsters charging towards them. 

‘These bokoblins are from the Great Sea!’ the sailor said. ‘They’re pushovers!’”

“If they’re just fighting keese and bokoblins then it’s not going to be much of a story.” The boy said. 

He chuckled but continued his tale . “A bokoblin slashed at the sailor but he jumped out of the way just in time. The sailor swiped at the monster, knocking the weapon out of its hand. The bokoblin snarled, black blood dripping from its muzzle.

‘Or not.’ The sailor added.”

“Oooh is someone going to get injured because they underestimated the monsters?” the boy asked excitedly. 

“Am I telling the story or you?” He chuckled. “We’re getting there, just be patient. 

‘What a swarm of keese.’ the champion said, drawing his bow. 

‘Annoying pests.’ the captain said, ducking under his shield. 

But the hoarder was smirking. ‘Come on, I’m already up to ten and -’ he paused.

‘What’s wrong?’ the traveller asked.

‘Nothing.’ the hoarder said but his eyes were trained on the wolf that suddenly appeared and mauled a bokoblin near the smith.”

The boy gasped. “Is this when the hoarder figures out that the wolf is the rancher?!”

“You’re jumping ahead far too much brat.” But he had to commend the boy for remembering all those details. “But yes, that probably added to the hoarder’s suspicions.”

“Probably?!”

“Well I’m  _ not  _ hoarder so I wouldn’t know for sure.” 

“The junk in the basement suggests otherwise.” The boy muttered. 

“That’s treasure  _ not  _ junk.” He wouldn’t deny that there was a bit of hoarding instinct in all of them but Legend had taken to another level. “Shall I continue?”

“Yeah!”

“The sailor jumped away from another swipe but the bokoblin had gotten smarter. The monster followed up with a second slash that knocked the sailor’s sword out of his hand.”   


“Oh no! The sailor!”

“The bokoblin signaled to its allies, drawing attention to the weaponless hero. The sailor readied his shield to block an incoming attack - but the champion leapt in front of him, taking the attack to the face.”

“No!”

He smirked. “The champion fell to the ground, bleeding from the cut on his forehead.”

“Is the champion dead?!” the boy demanded. “Does he have to use Mipha’s powers?!”

“The champion doesn’t have Mipha anymore or any of the other champions’ abilities, remember?”

“But - but, he doesn’t die  _ here,  _ right?! He can’t die here!” 

“Careful brat, your favouritism is showing.”

“But the champion is my favourite - right after the sailor.”

He chuckled. Wild was always the favourite whenever he told these stories. “Oh? Then who's your least favourite?”    


“The captain.” The boy said firmly. “He’s a dummy.”

He let out a howl of laughter. Oh the irony. 

“What? He is! He makes stupid bets and he makes stupid decisions that make girls chase after him!”

He slowly stifled his laughter but he couldn’t stop the last few chuckles. “Be careful who you call a dummy, brat.”

The boy glared at him. “What? Are  _ you  _ secretly the captain?”

“No.”

“Then why are you still laughing?!”

“Wait another couple years, kid. Then you’ll understand.”

The boy huffed. “So does the champion survive?”

“Just wait brat - don’t you want to hear about the sky child’s awesome whip? Or how the sailor  knocked down a dozen bokoblins in a single swipe?”

“No! I want to know what happened to the champion!”

He sighed and smiled. Even when Wild wasn’t here, he still stole the show. “Fine, fine. So after a  _ super epic  _ fight sequence that you don’t want to hear, the heroes immediately crowded around their fallen companion. 

‘He’s dead!’ the hoarder exclaimed.

‘No! He’ll be fine.’ the captain said, checking the champion’s injuries. ‘He’s already coming around’ -”

The boy sighed in relief. “The champion’s okay.”

“It’s going to take a whole much more to kill that wild child.”

“Though shouldn’t the traveller be the one checking him?” the boy asked. “He’s the one with the healing magic.”

“The traveller may have healing magic but the captain’s the one with the medical training.”

“Well I think you just changed them around because I said I didn’t like the captain.” the boy pouted.

“Well the captain is  _ my  _ favourite...but I assure you, he was the one who checked the champion. Cross my heart.”

The boy crossed his arms. “The champion wouldn’t be in that position if he hadn’t jumped in front of the sailor. The sailor could have handled it!”

“Yes but the sailor was also the youngest of the heroes.” He chuckled to himself - now he was on the opposite side of the argument. 

“But the sailor went through two adventures! And he’s fourteen! That’s old enough!” then the boy paused. “Wait…”

He smirked. The boy was finally catching on. 

“You picked this story to justify babying me!” the boy accused. 

He threw his hands up in defence. “If you bothered listening to the whole story, then you would’ve gotten what I was trying to tell you.”

“Then what  _ are  _ you trying to tell me?”

“Well then...the sailor may have gone through two adventures and was as much a hero as any of the others - but at the end of the day, he was still the youngest of them all and the others still had the urge to protect him no matter what.”

“Well that’s a stupid ending to the story.” The boy scowled. 

“What? So you think it’s bad that the heroes wanted to protect him?”

“Stop smirking, grandpa!” the boy said. “It’s not that...it’s just...they should’ve trusted him to handle himself - then no one else would have gotten hurt.”

His smirk relaxed into a smile. “Well keep that in mind when you’ve got a little brat of your own to deal with.” He ruffled the boy’s hair only for his hand to get swatted away. 

“Grandpa! That’s going to be forever away!”

He laughed again. “It’s still bedtime, kiddo. Time for little warriors like you to go to sleep.”

The boy gave a final pout but buried himself into his covers. “You owe me a better story tomorrow night.”

“Well how about the story of how the hoarder found out the rancher’s secret...and got transformed into an animal himself?”

“Yes please!”

“But that’s for tomorrow night.” He placed a soft kiss on the boy’s forehead. “Goodnight, kiddo.”

“G’night grandpa.” And the boy’s eyes flickered shut. 

He gave a final chuckle as he closed the bedroom door behind him. “I wonder if you remembered these moments captain...or maybe, it was because you remembered them…”

The old sailor snuffed out the final candle, letting the tales of heroes be left to dreams and the future beyond. 


End file.
